Bill Text: NY S02697 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes the volunteer firefighters and emergency medical service volunteer tuition assistance grant program; provides that counties shall have the option to establish such program by the enactment of a local law; provides for state reimbursement to counties for fifty percent of tuition assistance costs.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-06 - REFERRED TO HIGHER EDUCATION [S02697 Detail]

Download: New_York-2009-S02697-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         2697
                              2009-2010 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                   February 26, 2009
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sens.  AUBERTINE,  ADDABBO,  C. JOHNSON, KLEIN, ONORATO,
         SAMPSON, SAVINO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to
         be committed to the Committee on Higher Education
       AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing a  volun-
         teer  firefighters  and  emergency  medical  service volunteer tuition
         assistance grant program
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 609 to
    2  read as follows:
    3    S  609. VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS AND EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE VOLUNTEER
    4  TUITION ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM. 1. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS  SECTION,  THE
    5  FOLLOWING TERMS SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOWING MEANINGS:
    6    A.  "VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER" SHALL MEAN AN ACTIVE VOLUNTEER MEMBER OF A
    7  FIRE COMPANY OF A COUNTY, A FIRE COMPANY OF  A  CITY,  TOWN  OR  VILLAGE
    8  LOCATED  WITHIN  SUCH COUNTY, OR A FIRE DISTRICT FIRE DEPARTMENT LOCATED
    9  WITHIN SUCH COUNTY, WHETHER OR NOT  ANY  SUCH  COMPANY  IS  INCORPORATED
   10  UNDER ANY GENERAL OR SPECIAL LAW.
   11    B.  "VOLUNTEER  EMERGENCY  MEDICAL  SERVICE  PERSONNEL"  SHALL MEAN AN
   12  ACTIVE VOLUNTEER MEMBER OF ANY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE AS  ESTABLISHED
   13  WITHIN A COUNTY, TOWN, VILLAGE OR CITY OR LOCAL TAX DISTRICT, WHETHER OR
   14  NOT ANY SUCH SERVICE IS INCORPORATED UNDER ANY GENERAL OR SPECIAL LAW.
   15    C. "AT LEAST A PART-TIME BASIS" SHALL MEAN ENROLLMENT FOR AT LEAST SIX
   16  HOURS PER SEMESTER OR FOUR HOURS PER QUARTER.
   17    D.  "TUITION" SHALL MEAN THE TOTAL SEMESTER, QUARTER OR CLASSROOM HOUR
   18  COST OF INSTRUCTION TO THE STUDENT AT A  STATE-OPERATED  INSTITUTION  OR
   19  COMMUNITY COLLEGE, AS DEFINED PURSUANT TO SECTION THREE HUNDRED FIFTY OF
   20  THIS CHAPTER, EXCLUDING MANDATORY FEES, BOOK CHARGES AND ROOM AND BOARD.
   21    2.  ANY COUNTY WITHIN THE STATE IS HEREBY AUTHORIZED, BY THE ENACTMENT
   22  OF   A   LOCAL   LAW,   TO   ESTABLISH   AND   IMPLEMENT   A   VOLUNTEER
   23  FIREFIGHTERS/EMERGENCY  MEDICAL  SERVICE  VOLUNTEER  TUITION  ASSISTANCE
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD02474-01-9
       S. 2697                             2
    1  GRANT   PROGRAM   TO   PROVIDE   TUITION   ASSISTANCE    TO    VOLUNTEER
    2  FIREFIGHTERS/EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE VOLUNTEERS ENROLLED ON AT LEAST A
    3  PART-TIME  BASIS AT STATE-OPERATED INSTITUTIONS OR COMMUNITY COLLEGES AS
    4  THOSE  TERMS ARE DEFINED IN SECTION THREE HUNDRED FIFTY OF THIS CHAPTER.
    5  ANY PROGRAM ESTABLISHED PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION SHALL  PROVIDE  TUITION
    6  ASSISTANCE  GRANTS  TO  SUCH  VOLUNTEER  FIREFIGHTERS/EMERGENCY  MEDICAL
    7  SERVICE VOLUNTEERS IN AN AMOUNT UP  TO  FIFTY  PERCENT  OF  THE  TUITION
    8  REQUIRED  TO  BE  PAID  TO  SUCH STATE-OPERATED INSTITUTION OR COMMUNITY
    9  COLLEGE BY SUCH FIREFIGHTER/EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE VOLUNTEER.
   10    3. ANY COUNTY WHICH  ESTABLISHES  A  VOLUNTEER  FIREFIGHTERS/EMERGENCY
   11  MEDICAL  SERVICE  VOLUNTEER TUITION ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM PURSUANT TO
   12  THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION SHALL BE ENTITLED TO  REIMBURSEMENT  FROM
   13  THE  STATE FOR ONE-HALF OF THE ACTUAL COST OF TUITION ASSISTANCE PAID BY
   14  SUCH COUNTY TO  VOLUNTEER  FIREFIGHTERS  OR  EMERGENCY  MEDICAL  SERVICE
   15  PERSONNEL.
   16    S 2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to academ-
   17  ic semesters, quarters and classroom hours beginning on or after January
   18  1, 2011.